Tactic of hiding 28 ilegals in trailer bucket uncovered

KUNAK, Feb 17 -- A trailer driver’s tactic of hiding 28 illegals in the trailer bucket was uncovered when he was stopped at a roadblock at KM38, Jalan Kunak-Tawau, here, two days ago.

The 39-year-old local man was driving the trailer from Lahad Datu. The illegals comprised 17 men, five women and six children including two girls, all Indonesians aged between five and 55 years who were heading for Tawau.

The arrests were made by six Immigration officers under ‘Op Serkap’ conducted from 9 pm to 12.30 am with the assistance of the police and army who were on duty at the roadblock.

Sabah Immigration director, Muhamad Sade Mohamad Amin said the officers in the operation started trailing the trailer lorry from Jalan Assam, Lahad Datu until the KM38 roadblock.

He said 25 of the illegals including the six children had committed an offence under Section 6(1)(c ) of  the Immigration Act 1959/63 by not having valid personal documents.

“The other illegals have expired passes, an offence under Section 15(1)(c ) of the same act while the local suspect has committed an offence under Section 26A  of the Anti-Trafficking in Persons and Anti-Smuggling of Migrants Act (ATIPSOM) 2007," he said.

According to him, all those detained were taken to the Dewan Tun Datu Haji Mustapa transit quarantine centre, Lahad Datu for further investigation. 

Meanwhile, Eastern Sabah Security Command (ESSCom) Datuk Ahmad Fuad Othman in confirming the arrest of the illegals, said it was a new tactic used in smuggling illegals who were heading for the plantations.

He also said that in the ‘Op Cegah Pati (OCP) Daratan’ against illegals, conducted since last Oct 7 after the OCP Laut, many illegals had been arrested with seizures of goods and assets worth millions of ringgit.

-- BERNAMA